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PopulationThe population of the city proper (French: commune) was 390,350 (as of the 1999 census), with 964,797 inhabitants in the metropolitan area (French: aire urbaine) (as of 1999 census). As of February 2004 estimates, the population of the city proper reached 426,700 inhabitants, which means a record 1.8% population growth per year between 1999 and 2004 for the city proper.Toulouse is the fourth largest city in France, after Paris, Marseille and Lyon. In 1999 Toulouse was the fifth largest metropolitan area in France, after Paris, Lyon, Marseille and Lille. Toulouse is the second largest French city in terms of students, after Paris. Fueled by booming aerospace and high-tech industries, population growth of 1.5% a year in the metropolitan area in the 1990s (compared with a sluggish 0.37% for metropolitan France), and a record 2.2% yearly growth in the 2000s (0.58% for metropolitan France), means Toulouse metropolitan area hit the 1,000,000 inhabitants mark in 2002 or 2003. Boasting the highest population growth of any French metropolitan area larger than 500,000 inhabitants, Toulouse is well on its way to overtake Lille as the fourth largest metropolitan area of France. With 2.2% yearly population growth in the metropolitan area, Toulouse is also by far the fastest growing metropolitan area larger than one million inhabitants in Europe. Smaller metropolitan areas, such as Montpellier, France, may have higher growth rates than Toulouse, but their growth involves a much smaller number of inhabitants than in Toulouse. Even for North American standards, the population growth of Toulouse is quite remarkable. According to the US Census 2000, in the 1990s there were only 14 US metropolitan areas with a population over one million inhabitants that had a population growth superior to 2.2% per year. With 2.2% per year, Toulouse is growing almost twice as fast as, for instance, the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1990s (1.2% per year), and approximately at the same pace as Nashville or Salt Lake City did in the 1990s, these last two also being two US metropolitan areas with about the same number of inhabitants as the Toulouse metropolitan area.
Note: * figures provided by French national statistics office INSEE * figures up to and including 1954 can be compared with each other, as the limits of the urban area did not change until 1954, being only the city of Toulouse; after 1954 the urban area starts to include suburban communes, and the limits vary year after year * INSEE started calculating metropolitan area data only in 1990, a metropolitan area being different from an urban area in that it also includes satellite towns and the agricultural land in between, thus better reflecting the modern-day phenomenon of commutes and hubs; metropolitan area data before 1990 are only estimates Government and politicsCity of ToulouseThe new mayor of Toulouse since May 6, 2004 is Jean-Luc Moudenc (center-right, member of the UMP party), who succeeded Philippe Douste-Blazy, appointed minister of Health in the French government on March 31, 2004. Philippe Douste-Blazy remains president of the Community of Agglomeration of Greater Toulouse.Community of Agglomeration of Greater Toulouse
Main article: Community of Agglomeration of Greater Toulouse The Community of Agglomeration of Greater Toulouse (Communauté d'agglomération du Grand Toulouse) was created in 2001 to better coordinate transport, infrastructure and economic policies between the city of Toulouse and its immediate independent suburbs. It succeeds a previous district which had been created in 1992 with less powers than the current council. It combines the city of Toulouse and 24 independent communes, covering an area of 380 km² (147 sq. miles), totaling a population of 583,229 inhabitants (as of 1999 census), 67% of whom live in the city of Toulouse proper. As of February 2004 estimate, the total population of the Community of Agglomeration of Greater Toulouse was 651,209 inhabitants, 65.5% of whom live in the city of Toulouse. Due to local political feuds, the Community of Agglomeration only hosts 61% of the population of the metropolitan area, the other independent suburbs having refused to join in.Local politicsThe major political figure in Toulouse is Dominique Baudis, the charismatic mayor of Toulouse between 1983 and 2001, member of center-right UDF. First known as a journalist famous for his coverage of the war in Lebanon, 36 year-old Dominique Baudis succeeded his father Pierre Baudis in 1983 as mayor of Toulouse. (Pierre Baudis was mayor from 1971 to 1983.) The Baudis dynasty succeeded in turning Toulouse into a center-right stronghold, whereas historically the city had been left-leaning since the 19th century. Dominique Baudis is also known as a writer who wrote historical novels about the ancient counts of Toulouse, their crusade in the Middle East, and the Albigensian Crusade.
To deal with growth, major housing and transportation projects were launched. Perhaps the one for which Baudis is most famous is the subway of Toulouse: line A of the subway was opened in 1993, and Baudis succeeded in having work started on line B (scheduled to open in 2006), despite strong local opposition to the anticipated costs. The creation of a system of underground car parking structures in downtown Toulouse was sharply criticized by the Green Party, although it certainly fulfilled the demands of downtown Toulouse store and shop owners, and makes life easier for people who cannot use public transportation to go downtown. Today, even opponents cannot deny that the face of Toulouse has completely changed in the space of 20 years.
In 2000, Dominique Baudis was at the zenith of his popularity, with approval rates of 85%. To everyone's astonishment, he announced that he would not run for a fourth (6-year) term in 2001. He explained that with 3 terms he was already the longest-serving mayor of Toulouse since the French Revolution; he felt that change would be good for the city, and that the number of terms should be limited. He endorsed Philippe Douste-Blazy, then UDF mayor of Lourdes as his successor. Baudis has since been appointed president of the CSA (Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel) in Paris, the French equivalent of the American FCC. Not as charismatic or well-know as Dominique Baudis, Philippe Douste-Blazy narrowly won in the 2001 elections, which saw the left making its best showing in decades. Douste-Blazy has had to deal with a reinvigorated political opposition, as well as with the dramatic explosion of the AZF plant in late 2001. Harboring national ambitions, unlike Baudis who always refused to become a national figure and preferred to focus on Toulouse, Douste-Blazy was often perceived as using Toulouse only as a springboard to launch his national political career in Paris. Indeed, in March 2004 he entered the national government, and left Toulouse in the hands of his second-in-command Jean-Luc Moudenc, elected mayor by the municipal council. (Douste-Blazy remains president of the Community of Agglomeration of Greater Toulouse.) Jean-Luc Moudenc, however, does not command authority over his majority the way that Dominique Baudis did. Members of the majority fear that Toulouse could well elect a mayor from the left at the next (2008) election, and the figure of Baudis is largely missed. Indeed, his shadow still looms large over city hall, and many an insider murmurs that Baudis, who is still closely following local political events from Paris, will make his grand return to Toulouse in 2007 when he steps down from the Presidency of the CSA.
GeographyToulouse is located on the banks of the Garonne and the Canal du Midi.HistoryMain article: History of Toulouse. See also: Counts of Toulouse Born during the Roman Empire, it was once a major metropolis of western Europe, but Toulouse sank into a sleepy regional-level status in the 18th and 19th centuries, completely missing the Industrial Revolution. In the 20th century, relocation of key military and aerospace industries in Toulouse by the French central government have awakened the city again. In an ironic twist of history, what was once a big liability for Toulouse has now become its best asset: no Industrial Revolution meant a falling economic status for the city, but it has spared Toulouse the environmental damages and painful socio-economic restructuring that are plaguing so many northern European industrial cities.Benefiting from its status as Europe's capital of aerospace industry, as well as from the flow of population from the industrial belt to the sunbelt of Europe, Toulouse metropolitan area doubled its population between 1960 and 2000 (in the meantime the population of France increased only by 30%). With good prospects for aerospace and biotech industries, growth is likely to continue in the near future. Toulouse is thus recovering step by step its former rank as a major European metropolis, but it faces increasing challenges: how to accommodate such a rapid growth, how to upgrade transport and develop housing and infrastructures, in short how to reinvent the city in the 21st century. Sights
* Donjon du Capitole, housing the tourism office * Banks of the Garonne * Bazacle * Jardin des Plantes, Grand-Rond, Jardin Royal * Pont-Neuf * Hôpital de la Grave, featuring a copper dome * Château d'eau * Canal du Midi * Saint-Pierre bridge * Wilson Square * Matabiau train station * Hôtel du Vieux-Raisin * Quai Lucien Lombard Religious buildings* Saint-Sernin basilica [1], [2]* Notre-Dame du Taur church [3], [4] * Church of the Jacobins and its cloister * Saint-Étienne cathedral [5], [6], [7] * Daurade basilica [8] * Ursulines tower
MuseumsMuseums in Toulouse include:* Musée Georges Labit Museum * Musée des Augustins Museum * Museum d'Histoire Naturelle * Museum of Modern Art, in the former slaughterhouse * Cité de l'espace * Hôtel d'Assézat (Bemberg Foundation) * Goethe Institut * Musée du Vieux Toulouse * Musée de l'Affiche * Musée Départemental de la Résistance et de la Déportation * Musée des Antiques de Toulouse (Musée Saint-Raymond) * Musée Paul Dupuy (Arts appliqués du Moyen Âge à nos jours) Economy
Colleges and universitiesThe University of Toulouse (Université de Toulouse), established in 1230, is located here (now split into three separate universities). Like the universities in Oxford and Paris, the University of Toulouse was established at a time when Europeans were starting to translate the writings of Greek philosophers. These writings challenged European ideology - inspiring scientific discoveries and advancements in the arts - as society began seeing itself in a new way. These colleges were supported by the Church in hopes to reconcile Greek Philosophy and Christian Theology. Today, Toulouse is the second largest university campus of France after Paris, with more than 110,000 students attending its three universities (Université Toulouse I, Université de Toulouse - Le Mirail (Toulouse II), Université Paul Sabatier (Toulouse III)) and its engineering schools (INSA Toulouse, SUPAERO, ENSICA, ENAC, ENSEEIHT, INPT, ...)TransportationIn addition to an extensive bus system, Toulouse has a modern metro system. The VAL (Véhicule Automatique Léger) metro system is made up of driverless (automatic) rubber-tired trains. The existing line A runs for 12.5km. It was recently extended and now runs from Balma-Gramont to Basso Cambo. The new line B, expected to open in 2007, will add 20 stations and will intersect line A at Jean Jaurès. Line E (tramway) is going to be done in 2009, and will roll from Beauzelles to Arènes. Line C exists since line A, it is not VAL but a classical railway line with SNCF trains, it connects to line A at Arènes. Another oft-used commuter train line (D) runs to the city of Muret. (see List of Toulouse metro stations and french page about Toulouse's metro).Airports include: * Toulouse Blagnac, the principal local airport * Toulouse LasbordesRailway stations include: *Toulouse-Matabiau Culture
Toulouse was the home of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900-1944), most famous for his book Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince). There is a permanent gallery with numerous photos, and some of his works, located in the Hotel du Grand Balcon - just off the Place du Capitole - where he stayed. (The Bohemian painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, lived in Paris and shared only his name with Toulouse).Carlos Gardel (Charles Gardes) was born in Toulouse in 1890 and his house is still in city. The city's gastronomic specialties include Saucisses de Toulouse, a type of herb sausage, cassoulet Toulousain, a bean and pork stew, and garbure, a cabbage soup with poultry. Also, foie gras, the liver of an overfed duck or goose, is a delicacy mainly made in the Midi-Pyrénées. See also* 138 Tolosa* Institut d'études politiques de Toulouse External links|}}*WikiSatellite view of Toulouse at WikiMapia - In French and English *Official Website of the City Hall of Toulouse - In French *Official Website of the Greater Toulouse Council - In French *Toulouse Tourist Office - In English *Website of the Bemberg Foundation - In English *Website of the US Consulate in Toulouse - In English *Toulouse-Blagnac International Airport - In English *Visiting Toulouse - In English *Website of famous Toulouse rugby club: Stade Toulousain - In French *Website of the English Church of Midi-Pyrénées & Aude - Toulouse Location - In English *Website of the International School of Toulouse - International school for the local Anglophone community funded by Airbus. *British Section of the Victor Hugo International Secondary School - In English *The Cross of Toulouse and the Counts of Toulouse - In English *Toulouse City Guide
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